by Dahlia Rose
“I’m not that much of a slave to my dick,” Bryce retorted. “You may have believed that when we started, and now you see the truth of it.”
“I don’t want your money, Bryce. I never did. Went to a party because I was just off a six month tour on a ship and Tawny wanted me to get out of the apartment. I’d have been happy in here in my room with a book, but I went to appease her.” Isa said tiredly. “You owe me nothing, you owe this child nothing. Just walk away.”
“Then I wouldn’t be the man I am.” Bryce sighed. “I came off like a jackass, demanding, threatening to destroy your life, and I don’t honestly know if I can trust you.”
“Then why do this?” Isa pleaded. “Why bring me into a situation where you’ll always have doubts?”
He gave a coarse laugh. “Because in that one night a connection was made and since then I can’t stop thinking about you. Crazy, huh? I want to give the baby everything.”
“You pointed out very aptly that it possibly isn’t yours,” Isa reminded him.
“Even after all the venom I spat out, I can tell you’re not that kind of girl,” he said with a smile.
“That and the background check you ran,” Isa said knowingly. She sat back and rubbed her stomach, hoping that she could alleviate the queasiness.
He inclined his head. “That too. You’ve never taken a penny that wasn’t yours, even in foster care. Let me be a father to my child, let me give him or her everything, let me be there if you ever got deployed. Let me—”
“You can do that without us getting married,” she pointed out. “I’ll even let them do a paternity text.”
“Let me be there for you,” he finished. “No test. I read it’s not safe for the baby, but with marriage, my place in the baby’s life is assured.”
“It is now if you want it to be. We don’t need a marriage!” Isa cried out.
“Would it be so bad to be married to me?” Bryce’s voice was a low caress.
Isa shook her head. “Not like this. I don’t want to be married to someone who will see me as a bane. I don’t want to be married to a man who doesn’t want me completely or love me.”
“I can’t call this love. We can be friends, raise a child in a home, give the baby something you never had, Isa.”
Isa met his gaze. “I didn’t have love. Parents aren’t just DNA. If a family would have adopted me and loved me, my life would have been rich with possibilities. Being a single mother doesn’t change that fact if the baby has love.”
“Then don’t deprive him or her of both parents’ love and being raised in a household with both parents involved in their lives,” Bryce said. “I had that—dinner together, family trips, birthdays, the whole kit and caboodle. I know I may sound old fashioned, but I want that for this baby and for you. It’s not too late, we’re just changing the rules a bit.”
Isa looked at him, how he endeared her with a stare. She couldn’t even formulate a thought as to why she should say no. There was one, the one that started all of this, the one that made a mistake that turned into the blessing that was in her womb. He wanted Tawny not her.
“What’s my name?” she asked quietly, searching his eyes for one hint of confusion.
“You’re name is Isa,” Bryce answered. “I know who you are, who I kissed, whose skin I kissed in my bed.”
“Before...”
“Before is over and this is now,” he answered.
“So you can’t love me. You’re offering me a marriage of convenience and we’d raise a baby together,” Isa clarified. “Until you want to date and the kid sees you on TV with a model on your arm. Really stable home we’d be building.”
“Like I said, I can control my urges,” Bryce said. “Can you?”
“I’ve been taught nothing but control.”
“Then its settled.” Bryce stood. “I’ll make the arrangements.”
“It’s settled in your favor. The rich typically get what they want, don’t they?” Isa said quietly.
“This would have been my choice, rich or poor. I’m a man who knows how to get what he wants,” Bryce said from the door. “I’ll see you soon.”
With those words, he left and Isa couldn’t hold back the nausea any longer. She rushed to the bathroom and expelled her late lunch until she was left weak and with a sore stomach on the bathroom floor. The word yes hadn’t even been uttered from her lips, and yet she knew she’d given in. Did she really or accepted what she truly wanted, Bryce?
Chapter Four
The next few weeks were a flurry of activities, and it was exhausting. Isa finally got over most of her nausea, but still found that she got tired very easily. Work became harder on her back since she had to carry big books of Navy law back and forth to conference rooms. It was only one of her duties as a paralegal. With her stomach burgeoning, she also had to change to the Navy maternity uniform and her feet ached from all the walking. In the evenings she came home to her apartment and walked up the stairs to fix herself a meal which was barely eaten in her tiredness. In the midst of all that there was Bryce. When he saw her, he pressed for her to move in before the wedding, which was set for right after the Fourth of July. She signed the prenuptial agreement, wanting it in writing that she didn’t need his money. Isa desired to keep her freedom as long as possible and wasn’t ready to give up the apartment she shared with Tawny.
But even that was changing because, soon after, Tawny informed her that she’d be moving to Italy for a modeling contract that had been offered to her. It was a bonus that her new boyfriend from Greece was closer if she moved to Italy. For Isa, everything was happening too fast. She was stressed out from work, Bryce, and the fact that the MOS she took to be closer to her friend—the only one she could call family—was now a moot point.
She wasn’t adapting to all the changes well, and it was affecting every aspect of her life. It became evident one night when severe cramps woke her from her sleep. The pain lanced through her lower stomach and she pressed her hand against the area where she’d felt the first flutters of life. Isa managed to get up and go to the bathroom where she found that she’d started bleeding. Oh no, please no, she thought in panic. Isa rushed to Tawny’s room, afraid she was losing the baby. She managed to flick the switch on to flood the room with light before collapsing to the floor.
Tawny sat up, and when she saw Isa on the floor, she rushed over.
“I’m bleeding, the baby,” Isa gasped.
“Oh God, oh no!” Tawny cried, and ran to the bedside table to call nine-one-one.
From there, Tawny tried to keep her calm and the frantic rush began when the ambulance arrived minutes later. It was hard to lay flat while they worked on her. They ran an IV and she heard the doctors at the hospital order the medical technician to give her some medicine. She felt it burn through her veins and soon the pain dulled and her mind became cloudy. She could feel Tawny rubbing her hand gently from the other side of her as the ambulance sped through the night.
“Call Bryce,” Isa managed to mumble before she slipped into the darkness.
When she woke up, she was in a hospital bed and the room only had a small dim light. Her first thought was the baby and she pressed her hand against her stomach, hoping to feel signs of life.
“They’re fine,” a low voice said from beside her.
“Bryce... They?” Her voice was raspy with sleep.
He held up two fingers with a small smile.
“But I’ve been to my doctor’s appointment and there was one heartbeat,” she stammered.
“One of the littler buggers was hiding.” Bryce moved closer. “They had to give you a sonogram when you were brought into the ER and, peekaboo, there he was.”
Isa leaned back against the pillow. “Holy crap, and they’re fine? I was in so much pain.”
Bryce leaned on the metal rail of the bed. “Yes, healthy and strong as opposed to their mother, who hasn’t been taking care of herself.”
“I’ve been taking care of myself...” Isa began
to say.
He shook his head. “Eh, I’ll let the doctor explain. He wanted to know when you were up. Tawny went for coffee. I’ll be back.”
She watched him leave. Isa ran her hand over the small mound of her lower stomach and realized why she was showing so much for sixteen weeks.
“There’s two of you,” she whispered with a smile. “You guys are going to partners in crime.”
Bryce came back in carrying two cups of coffee and, as soon as he cleared the doorway, Tawny rushed in behind him. She leaned over to embrace Isa and squeezed her shoulders tight.
“You scared the daylights out of me,” Tawny said.
“So that’s why it was dark,” Isa teased.
Tawny sniffled and gave a watery laugh. “You dodo bird, I need you to be healthy and taken care of before I leave.”
“She will be. She has me,” Bryce said.
“There are two of them,” Isa said, trying to ignore the rush of happiness from his words. They still had a long way to go before she would trust him and she knew the feeling was mutual.
Tawny pressed her hand over Isa’s stomach. “I have nieces or nephews. You know I’ll be back a few weeks before you’re due so I can be there for the delivery.”
“You’d better, I need my sister there,” Isa replied.
“As if I’d be anywhere else, even if I’m squeamish.” Tawny bent her head to whisper in Isa’s ear. “I think he wants to be there too.”
Isa didn’t answer and was glad she didn’t have to when the doctor came in.
“How are you feeling? You gave your family here quite a scare,” the doctor said warmly. “Aren’t you supposed to be taking care of yourself, Isa?
Isa was glad to see that it was her actual OBGYN who was in attendance. Dr. Ben Allary was younger than she’d expected when she first walked into the doctor’s office. She placed him at around thirty-five, and soon he’d made her so comfortable she saw past his good looks and boyish charm to the competent physician he was.
“I’ve been trying to, Dr. Allary,” Isa answered.
“I thought we agreed my patients call me Ben, especially my favorite patients,” Dr. Allary teased.
“This is Tawny, my best friend. More than that, she’s my sister. And this is Bryce Forte, the baby...babies’ father. I didn’t think you worked at this hospital.”
Dr. Allary chuckled. “I don’t, but Mr. Forte does has a way of getting things done. As to the babies, wasn’t that a surprise?”
“They are okay, aren’t they?” Isa asked as doubt and worry crept in.
“They are fine, babies are stronger than people realize in utero. But you, on the other hand, need to eat better and I’m putting you on bed rest. The pain you had was from tiredness, a bit of dehydration, and stress. It caused you to contract early, your body telling you it was not happy. The bleeding was mild and stopped within an hour after we started treating you. I suspect more stress than you are letting on.” She noted how Dr. Allary cast a glance at Bryce. “Would you rather we speak alone?”
“I can see what you’re thinking but I haven’t been abusing Isa,” Bryce said angrily.
“Abuse comes in many forms,” Ben said calmly without batting an eye. "The fact is she is under so much stress she is not eating properly, she isn’t sleeping enough, and then add her work on top of that. The fact that she is a petite woman carrying twins and a first time mother, plus being anemic, she needs rest. She’s pregnant and should be blissfully happy at this point, not losing weight. I want that for all my patients.”
Isa noted how Tawny bit her lip as she watched the doctor and Isa laughed to herself. Her friend always appreciated the male form. She also noted that aside from the anger that Bryce had, she could see worry on his face.
“Instead of chastising me, what is your medical decision?” Bryce asked.
Ben looked at Isa. “I’m going to recommend you be placed on leave from the Navy for the duration of your pregnancy. I’ll submit the paperwork to the base as soon as I leave the room.”
“What else?” Bryce asked tersely.
“If you are so impatient to leave, Mr. Forte, I can talk to my patient alone,” Ben retorted. “You may be accustomed to people cowering for you, but I will not. Her care is tantamount, and if you aren’t here to help her, you hamper her care. If you show so much disregard for the mother of your children, what will happen when they are born?”
Bryce took a deep breath before he spoke. “My intent is not to cause her any more stress or harm, Dr. Allary. Your implications of me being abusive were unwarranted and they, of course, pissed me off. But you can be assured that Isa’s health and the health of our children is of the utmost importance to me.”
Dr. Allary inclined his head. “Very well, but please know I will be her heath care provider and I will be watching. Isa, I want you on bed rest for the next few weeks. No heavy lifting, no exercise, not a lot of up and down stairs. Basically, I want to you lie there, eat, and put on some weight. Your body is telling you that there are three people who need nutrition now. Eat healthy, but splurge sometimes with ice cream, maybe a burger and some fries.”
Isa nodded. “Okay, I’m on it.”
“You’re going to be admitted for a day or two until I’m sure the spotting has stopped.” Ben patted her covered leg. “Now I need you to eat and rest, someone will be here soon with a hot meal.”
“Tell me what you want to eat and I’ll have it here in ten minutes,” Bryce said.
“Even better,” Ben said with a smile. “Hospital food isn’t the greatest. I’ll check in on you later today.”
“Thanks, Ben,” Isa said. Everyone was silent when he left the room.
“I’m going to grab a cab and head home. Its four a.m. and I need some sleep.” Tawny kissed her cheek. “Bake those babies, mama.”
“I will,” Isa promised.
“Use my car. My driver is parked downstairs. I’ll call him and let him know to pull around,” Bryce said. “He can pick up whatever you want to eat, Isa.”
“Waffle house, ham and cheese omelet with hash browns, capped, peppered, and smothered oh and a waffle,” Isa said quickly, and the shrugged when they stared at her. “I’m hungry and I’ve been craving that all week.”
Bryce smiled. “Then you’ll have it.”
Tawny said her goodbyes and Bryce called down to his driver. Isa lay back, happy to know her babies were doing well. She was still trying to get over the initial shock that she was having twins. The medicine they gave her to ease her pain still had her groggy but hunger was her primary concern at that moment. Bryce came back over to the bed. They were very much alone.
“You’ll have your food in about thirty minutes after David takes Tawny home,” Bryce said.
“Thank you.”
“I’d like you to consider staying with me,” Bryce said gently.
“Thought I’d be doing that after the wedding anyway.”
“Let’s put that on the back burner for now. I can’t help but think that our whole situation of either open warfare or tense truces is the cause of your stress. I’d like for you to stay with me, but I want it to be your choice. I can take care of you there and you won’t have to worry about those steep iron stairs you climb. I want to get to know you and watch our children grow in your belly, if you’d allow me to. After the babies are born, we can revisit our situation and see where we want to go from there.”
“Seriously? You’re not kidding, right?” Isa asked hopefully.
Bryce laughed. “I’ve never seen a woman so happy not to be getting married, but yes, I’m serious.”
Isa smiled. “Sorry, but it wasn’t on my top ten things to do. Its not like I had a list and there was a check beside get pregnant and married to a guy who I hardly know.”
“Then let’s get to know each other where you’re safe and, as Tawny said, bake those babies,” Bryce took her hand. “I’m not a man who is accustomed to saying please, but I’m saying it now. Please, Isa.”
She
nodded. “Okay, let’s give it a whirl.”
“One more thing,” Bryce said hesitantly.
“Uh-oh what’s the catch?”
“No catch. Can I.... You let Tawny rub your tummy, and each time I see you, I just want to... Shit, can I rub your stomach?” he finally blurted out.
“You won’t be able to feel anything. I barely feel it except now I know there are two swimming around in there.”
Bryce looked at her. “I know, I guess I just want to feel where they’re safe and growing. When Tawny called me, my heart dropped. I was just enjoying the thought of being a dad and I almost lost it.”
Isa took his hand, placed it on the round mound of her stomach, and said gently, “There they are.”
Feeling Bryce run his hand gently across her stomach filled her with something more than just need. She recalled the connection they felt that night of his party and what they shared.
“It’s kinda firm,” Bryce said, His hand was warm against her skin.
“I promise as soon as they kick the first time, you be the first one I call,” Isa vowed.
Bryce grinned. “Deal. I’ll drop everything at the office and come home for that.”
“Okay.” She smiled in return.
Together, they shared a new plateau in their relationship. Isa was grateful they’d come to an agreement and hoped that that they could continue to build something good. They would have two babies to nurture from October until they were adults. They would share children for the rest of their lives. Isa knew her attraction for Bryce was still there, but she held on to reality. Even if they couldn’t be together, they could learn to parent as a team. Their children deserved the best from both of them.
* * * *
Two days later, she was settled in a guest bedroom and Tawny was helping her put away the last of her things. It was more like she was doing all the putting away while Isa lay in bed directing her. For the next week, she was allowed to get up to go to the bathroom and that was pretty much it. Dr. Allary wanted to be certain that she wasn’t at risk for a miscarriage. Being in the hospital had scared her enough that she would follow his directions to the letter.